A Case Report: Custom Made Porous Titanium Implants in Revision: A New Option for Complex Issues

Abstract

Background: Bone loss management is considered one of the most difficult challenges for orthopaedic surgeon. In massive bone defects, few surgical options are available and they do not offer a reliable or optimal solution for knee reconstruction. Objective: The aim of this paper is to present and justify a new custom-made approach for complex metadiaphyseal bone defects management in knee revision surgery. Methods: We report a case of a 66-year-old woman who underwent a staged left total knee arthroplasty revision for infection with Anderson Orthopaedic Research Institute classification III uncontained femoral and tibial metadiaphyseal bone defects following five prior surgeries. Along with a case discussion, we describe clinical and radiological outcomes of 3 similar patients treated with this new custom-made device. Results: To manage these problems, we developed new, custom porous titanium devices for both femoral and tibial reconstruction tailored to a patient’s specific bone loss. Since, 2014, we treated four cases using custom-made porous titanium cones and we had optimal clinical and radiological results, with no instances of loosening, component migration, or mismatches between preoperative planning and intraoperative findings. Conclusion: In extremely selected cases, this new device can be considered a possible and viable surgical step between “off the shelf” reconstruction implants and knee substitution with a tumor megaprosthesis.